What to know about college football bowl games for Northwestern and Illinois
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Here's what to know about the upcoming bowl games for Northwestern and Illinois.
Music City Bowl
How to watch Illinois vs Tennessee
Illinois (8-4) vs. Tennessee (8-4), Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m. EST.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Tennessee by 5.5. Against the spread: Tennessee 5-7, Illinois 6-4-1.
How to watch: ESPN
Key stats
Tennessee Offense
Overall: 482.0 yards per game (4th in FBS)
Passing: 307.2 yards per game (5th)
Rushing: 174.8 yards per game (50th)
Scoring: 40.8 points per game (7th)
Tennessee Defense
Overall: 395.5 yards per game (88th in FBS)
Passing: 249.3 yards per game (115th)
Rushing: 146.3 yards per game (62nd)
Scoring: 28.8 points per game (92nd)
Illinois Offense
Overall: 370.3 yards per game (82nd in FBS)
Passing: 239.1 yards per game (58th)
Rushing: 131.2 yards per game (100th)
Scoring: 29.3 points per game (55th)
Illinois Defense
Overall: 350.7 yards per game (50th in FBS)
Passing: 226.5 yards per game (80th)
Rushing: 124.2 yards per game (35th)
Scoring: 23.3 points per game (56th)
Illinois ranks 122nd in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert 44.7% of the time. Tennessee ranks 9th on offense, converting on 50.3% of third downs.
Tennessee ranks 76th in the FBS averaging 55.6 penalty yards per game, compared to Illinois' 21st-ranked 41.1 per-game average.
Tennessee ranks 128th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 27:24, compared to Illinois' 50th-ranked average of 30:30.
Team leaders
Tennessee
Passing: Joey Aguilar, 3,444 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INTs, 66.8 completion percentage
Rushing: DeSean Bishop, 983 yards on 163 carries, 14 TDs
Receiving: Chris Brazzell II, 1,017 yards on 62 catches, 9 TDs
Illinois
Passing: Luke Altmyer, 2,811 yards, 21 TDs, 5 INTs, 68.1 completion percentage
Rushing: Ca'Lil Valentine, 549 yards on 123 carries, 4 TDs
Receiving: Hank Beatty, 826 yards on 64 catches, 3 TDs
GameAbove Sports Bowl
How to watch Northwestern vs. Central Michigan
Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Northwestern (6-6), Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. EST.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Northwestern by 12.5. Against the spread: Northwestern 6-4-2, Central Michigan 8-4.
How to watch: ESPN
Key stats
Northwestern Offense
Overall: 348.8 yards per game (95th in FBS)
Passing: 181.8 yards per game (111th)
Rushing: 167.1 yards per game (60th)
Scoring: 22.5 points per game (105th)
Northwestern Defense
Overall: 334.9 yards per game (35th in FBS)
Passing: 194.8 yards per game (33rd)
Rushing: 140.1 yards per game (54th)
Scoring: 20.9 points per game (34th)
Central Michigan Offense
Overall: 335.7 yards per game (109th in FBS)
Passing: 166.2 yards per game (119th)
Rushing: 169.5 yards per game (57th)
Scoring: 23.8 points per game (95th)
Central Michigan Defense
Overall: 358.6 yards per game (59th in FBS)
Passing: 207.2 yards per game (49th)
Rushing: 151.4 yards per game (73rd)
Scoring: 22.7 points per game (51st)
Central Michigan ranks 93rd in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert 41.3% of the time. Northwestern ranks 37th on offense, converting on 43.8% of third downs.
Northwestern ranks 100th in the FBS with a -4 turnover margin, compared to Central Michigan's 20th-ranked +8 margin.
Northwestern ranks 9th in the FBS averaging 35.0 penalty yards per game.
Central Michigan is 13th in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 73.2% of trips.
Both teams rank high in time of possession. Northwestern is 11th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 32:44, while Central Michigan's 19th-ranked average is 32:07.
Team leaders
Northwestern
Passing: Preston Stone, 2,174 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs, 59.9 completion percentage
Rushing: Caleb Komolafe, 886 yards on 175 carries, 10 TDs
Receiving: Griffin Wilde, 783 yards on 61 catches, 6 TDs
Central Michigan
Passing: Joey Labas, 1,676 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs, 68.9 completion percentage
Rushing: Nahree Biggins, 540 yards on 105 carries, 2 TDs
Receiving: Langston Lewis, 513 yards on 35 catches, 3 TDs
Last game for Northwestern and Illinois
Illinois defeated Northwestern 20-13 on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Altmyer led Illinois with 136 yards on 10-of-15 passing (66.7%) for no touchdowns and no interceptions. Valentine carried the ball 14 times for 74 yards and scored one touchdown. Collin Dixon put up 53 yards on two catches.
Stone passed for 163 yards on 19-of-36 attempts (52.8%) with one touchdown and three interceptions. Robby Preckel carried the ball 22 times for 82 yards, adding one reception for four yards. Hayden Eligon II put up 99 yards on eight catches with one touchdown.
Last game for the ‘Cats and Illini’s opponents
Tennessee lost 45-24 to Vanderbilt on Saturday, Nov. 29. Aguilar threw for 299 yards on 29-of-44 attempts (65.9%) with one touchdown and no interceptions. Bishop carried the ball 20 times for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns, adding one reception for six yards. Brazzell recorded 91 yards on six catches with one touchdown.
Central Michigan fell 21-3 to Toledo on Saturday, Nov. 29. Labas passed for 242 yards on 19-of-30 attempts (63.3%) with no touchdowns and one interception. Brock Townsend had 68 rushing yards on 14 carries, adding one reception for five yards. Tommy McIntosh had six receptions for 83 yards.